American Lung Association chapters in four central Iowa counties have issued a guide to “smoke-free” restaurants in their area, and the effort could expand statewide. Leanna Brady, director of the American Lung Association’s Iowa/Illinois chapter, says 75 percent of Iowans do not smoke, and it’s not fair to subject the majority of Iowa residents to second-hand smoke when the go out to eat. She says once you visit smoke free establishments, that tends to be your preference. Brady hopes the campaign changes social norms.Brady says smoking used to be allowed in movie theaters and airplanes, but it’s not anymore because she says it’s a health issue, not a matter of personal rights. Ames and Iowa City have local ordinances which require all restaurants to be smoke-free. Attorney General Tom Miller hopes more communities pass similar ordinances.The state of California has a statewide law which bars smoking in restaurants. Miller says a non-smoking section in most restaurants becomes the second-hand-smoke section because the smoke drifts.One-hundred-67 restaurants in Polk, Dallas, Madison and Warren Counties are smoke-free. There are just two smoke-free bars in the Capitol City.
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